After Wage Veto, Bloomberg Vows Court Fight

Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed a bill mandating higher wages for some workers with an unusual flourish: a speech to reporters in which he pledged to fight the legislation and a companion measure with court challenge if the City Council overrides his veto.

Speaking from prepared text and taking no questions, Bloomberg warned that the prevailing-wage bill could thwart positive trends in the city economy. He called the measure “a throwback to the era when government viewed the private sector as a cash cow to be milked, rather than a garden to be cultivated.”

Mayoral aides said they believed it was the first time Bloomberg had given such a speech to explain his reasons for vetoing a bill.